Michele Bachmann’s exit: What it means for the Tea Party

A surprise announcement this week in Washington as Minnesota congresswoman and one time GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann announced she will not be seeking re-election after her current congressional term runs out in 2014. Lots of you had questions about the announcement and what Bachmann’s departure from Congress means for her, and for the future of the Tea Party movement.

Ernesta Taylor tweeted: What is the real reason for Bachmann's announcement?

Kimberly Robinson wrote in on Facebook: Is she quitting to prepare for the next presidential election?

Marcia Ottoman wanted to know what this means for the tea party. She asked: If the tea party loses Michele Bachmann as their pseudo leader, who in the republican party is poised to take her place at this point in time? Or, will the tea party movement simply go away as she leaves office? What impact will her resignation from Congress have on the mid-term elections and in Congress?

Thanks for the great questions, and please be sure to keep them coming on Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo answers. We’ll talk more about Bachmann’s departure, along with the rest of the week’s top headlines on Sunday on “This Week.” See you then.

*Clarification: Rep. Bachmann is not resigning. She will finish out the remainder of her current term.